What is Alfedena known for?

Capital of the Caraceni Samnites with a necropolis of over 15,000 tombs from the seventh to third centuries BC. Taken by Rome in the Third Samnite War, the moment Aufidena passed from Italic capital to Roman district. Inside the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, with the dammed Lago della Montagna Spaccata at 1,066 meters above the village.

Alfedena is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo region of Italy, about 126 kilometers from Napoli.

Abruzzo · L'Aquila

Alfedena

At 914 meters at the head of the upper Sangro valley, the Samnite Aufidena, with a 15,000-tomb necropolis and a Roman conquest in 298 BC.

914m

Elevation

126 km / 78 mi

Nearest hub (Napoli)

944

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Alfedena sits at 914 meters at the head of the upper Sangro valley, inside the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, below the Meta and Monte Greco massifs. The Samnites founded it as Aufidena on two hills above the river, the capital of the Caraceni tribe; the necropolis in the saddle between the two hills holds over 15,000 inhumation tombs from the seventh to third centuries BC, one of the largest Italic burial complexes ever excavated. Rome conquered the place in 298 BC during the Third Samnite War. The medieval village grew on a third hill and survived earthquakes, the Gustav Line winter, and the slow depopulation that has taken its population down to 944. The Lago della Montagna Spaccata at 1,066 meters above the village, dammed after the war for hydroelectric power, is the modern landmark. Castel di Sangro is twelve kilometers north, Pescara eighty-five.

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Gallery

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Known for

Necropoli sannita di Aufidena
Samnite burial complex with over 15,000 inhumation tombs from the seventh to third centuries BC, between the two original hills of the ancient town.
Resti delle mura megalitiche
Megalithic Samnite walls on the upper hills, visible vestiges of the pre-Roman Aufidena before its conquest in 298 BC.
Lago della Montagna Spaccata
Small artificial lake at 1,066 meters above the village, dammed after the war on the Rio Torto for hydroelectric production.
Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise
Bear-and-wolf protected area that includes the upper Sangro valley around Alfedena, with marked trails toward Monte Greco.
Monte Greco massif
Range west of the village rising to 2,283 meters, the geographical anchor of the upper Sangro and the nearby Alto Sangro ski area.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the working season at 914 meters. The national park trails are open, the necropolis is accessible, and the Lago della Montagna Spaccata fills with bathers and walkers. June and September are the cleanest months for the upper Sangro, with long days and dry archaeological terrain. July and August see day-trippers from Castel di Sangro and weekenders from the coast. November through April is mountain off-season: snow, cold, and many shutters closed, with the park trails impassable except on snowshoes.